New Zerg units continued to pour out from the various Hatcheries within the Hive. Alexei stood by, observing the newest addition to his ranks: the Infestor.
The creature was nearly five meters long and three meters high, its body covered in thick chitinous plates. Within its bloated fluid sacs lived tens of thousands of pathogens, and its mouthparts were capable of dragging enemies into its body to infect them, turning them into biological weapons for the Swarm.
As a caster unit for the Swarm, its utility was limitless.
Of course, Alexei wouldn't dare touch it with his bare hands. He turned to Abathur to ask about its specific evolutionary traits, as he couldn't see much difference from its in-game appearance.
Abathur pointed an appendage at the Infestor. "Parasitic injection, enhanced. Can establish psionic links with enemies, forcing them into the Hive psionic network. Controlled by Master, yet retains self-awareness."
Alexei narrowed his eyes at this. Let's test it. He ordered a Drone to carry the unconscious Lutheca over and place him before the Infestor.
The creature slithered slowly toward the man and extended a parasitic stinger, thrusting it into his body. After a brief period of convulsing from the man, the stinger was slowly withdrawn.
Lutheca gradually regained consciousness. Alexei looked at the man; he could sense his emotions—confusion, fear, and... reverence?
Lutheca's memory ended at the moment he had taken the little girl hostage before being knocked out by a shockwave. He shook his groggy head. There was a sharp sting at the back of his neck; reaching back, he found his hand covered in transparent slime.
"You... what did you do to me?" Lutheca looked at Alexei, his thoughts in a jumble. For some reason, he felt a sudden urge to prostrate himself before this man.
Even though the man had previously been an unforgivable heretic, in Lutheca's eyes now, the man's silhouette began to merge with the grand image of the Emperor. It was as if this man was the Emperor's holy agent on Earth. Even the terrifying xenos nearby now seemed as familiar and endearing as household pets.
Emperor above, Lutheca prayed silently, hoping to prove that his loyalty to the Throne remained unshaken.
"Stand up," Alexei commanded.
Lutheca didn't know why he felt compelled to obey, but he stood perfectly straight, like a soldier awaiting inspection by a superior officer.
"Good. Let's talk." Sensing the confusion in the man's mind, Alexei decided to have a detailed conversation.
He left Abathur to continue infecting the other unconscious Enforcers while he led Lutheca toward a room further away—the one where another old acquaintance was being held.
Inside the room, Kaider stared in shock at the two men. He recognized the veteran commander. When Kaider had first joined the Arbites, he had been trained by Lutheca, a man known for his strictness and unwavering loyalty. To see this stubborn, faithful old man standing silently behind the black-haired youth was inconceivable.
"How... how did you make him obey you?" Kaider stammered.
Alexei smiled but didn't answer. He motioned for Lutheca to stand aside and began his interrogation.
Through their conversation, Alexei learned about Lutheca's status: an Enforcer Captain of the Hive City and a retired Astra Militarum commander. He had been personally ordered to lead squads from several districts into the factory zone to purge the cultists.
They had been confident in their victory, but the resistance was unexpectedly fierce, and the appearance of Warp demons had changed everything. If Alexei hadn't arrived in time, they would have been annihilated.
However, Alexei found it strange. Why send such a small force with limited equipment for a major purge? Previously, when the Underhive had rioted, thousands of well-equipped Enforcers and heavy vehicles had been deployed. This time, there were barely a thousand men.
Something felt wrong. Were the high-ranking officials of the Arbites incompetent, or was there another reason?
A thought struck him: Unless this team was meant to be sacrificed...
He shook his head. Forget it, I'll bet on them being incompetent for now.
He didn't ask further questions. He simply instructed Lutheca to hide his existence when reporting back, telling him to fabricate a story for their survival—something about a chaotic three-way battle where they teamed up with the cultists to banish the demons before executing the remaining cultists. It sounded like the story of an "Emperor's Chosen," but it had some twisted logic to it.
With the cover of these Enforcers, Alexei planned to take over the territory of the purged gang—the perimeter of the factory district. This would allow him to develop the area beneath the factories openly. With the Infestor, he could quickly build a force and establish a basic Underhive gang.
He thought of Art, the leader of the Sons of Rusty Iron he had met before. Perhaps he could cooperate with him again.
He led the two out of the room. The infection process at the Hive's center was complete; the nearly one hundred Enforcers had all joined the Zerg psionic network, becoming his most loyal allies.
Alexei sensed their emotions. He could control them, and while they remained loyal to the Emperor, in their eyes, he had become the Emperor's holy agent.
"Very good." He nodded with satisfaction and sent the Enforcers back to act as his sleeper agents within the Arbites. They would provide him with invaluable intelligence.
Lutheca gave him an Aquila salute and led his men out of the Hive. They would recover their gear from the factory zone before returning to their base.
As their figures receded, Alexei turned back to the Hive. He had to prepare to meet Art.
He looked at the Infestor. At his command, the creature used its six powerful digging limbs to burrow deep into the ground. He ordered several Roaches to do the same. Then, he led this group of xenos toward the familiar residential areas of the Underhive.
"What? Art is dead?" Alexei frowned as he looked at the gang member from the Sons of Rusty Iron.
Art's most trusted lieutenant had now taken over and reorganized the gang.
Alexei felt a headache coming on. He knew life was cheap in the Underhive—people died every day for the most trivial reasons. But for the leader of a major gang to die in the streets just a few days after their meeting was beyond suspicious.
His intuition told him that Art's death might be linked to him.
"Dammit, the plan is ruined." He decided to find the new leader immediately.
He changed his strategy. He was no longer going to build a team slowly; he was going to control the gang from the top down and use them to dominate a large portion of the Underhive.